It's a Secret
by Enray
Summary: Response to Syuveil's challenge: Mountain. How does 'mountain' and 'secret' connect? That's for you to read and find out.


This is a response to Syuveil's challenge: mountain.

Disclaimers: You should know just by seeing that 11-letter word in front of this sentence that I do not own Danny Phantom.

Hope you like the one-shot.

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Why did he? How could she? Why was he here?

"Come on guys, we're almost there." Sam said in front of him.

"I don't know which is more embarrassing, the fact that I'm being beaten by a girl, or the fact that I'm being beaten by a girl." Tucker panted beside him.

"Why are we here in the first place?" Danny gasped as he took a breather.

"Sam is an… excellent persuader." Tucker replied between gasps.

"Are you guys coming or what?" Sam asked smugly with her hands on her hips. If you looked at her now, you wouldn't think that she was in the middle of climbing a mountain.

In fact, they were climbing the tallest mountain in Amity Park.

Laughter.

"Ok, just because you're faster than us, doesn't mean that you should laugh at us." Danny panted. They looked queerly at him.

"What?" He asked annoyed.

"I didn't do anything." Sam defended.

"I didn't hear anything." Tucker added. Hands on his knees, he asked, "Mind if we have a short break? Thanks." The techno geek crumbled onto the ground.

"You guys are weak." Sam gently reprimanded them as she sat down. Why wasn't she gasping? Moaning? Anything?

Danny crumpled beside Tucker, palms on the ground supporting him as he leant back. This was so humiliating. He fought ghosts on a daily basis, but he couldn't keep up with a _girl_.

_You can't catch me._

He looked around. That didn't sound like Tucker or Sam. Where did that come from?

"Danny? You ok?" Sam asked.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." He answered absentmindedly.

_I'll tell you if you catch me._

"Come on, we need to get moving. Unless you want to stay overnight." Sam urged.

Danny slowly got to his feet. Tucker did the same, though a lot noisier. With Sam in the lead, they continued their hike.

"_You're slow."_

"_Am not. You're too fast."_

Who were they?

He caught sight of a small kid among the trees, running.

_Bright eyes wide in wonder._

"_Who are you?"_

"_Who are _you_?"_

The kid kept appearing and disappearing, partially hidden from view by the trees.

"_I stay here. This is my place."_

"_Place? This not home?"_

"_No, this isn't my home."_

"_Where's your home?"_

"_Somewhere else."_

He was moving, but he didn't feel tired. He felt like he was fully charged, all the energy in the world ready at his disposal.

"_Why are you here?"_

"_My home's gone."_

"_That's so sad."_

"_Yeah, but I got over it."_

"_So you live here now?"_

"_I guess, yeah."_

The branches were irritating, grabbing at him, blocking his way as he made his way towards the small boy.

"_You alone?"_

"_Yeah, my parents left me."_

"_They're meanies."_

"_No, they were forced to. Grandda is the real meanie."_

"_Where is he? I'll hit him for you."_

"_You don't have to. He died."_

His cheek stung where a sharp branch nicked him.

"_So, what do you do?"_

"_Hang around."_

_Head cocked to one side._

"_Isn't that boring?"_

"_Not if you live in a beautiful place like this."_

The boy caught up with a girl. Her face held a soft flow as a smile graced her face. Two arms were in the air, gesturing towards everywhere.

"_Watch the trees, observe the animals, hear the sounds of the woods. They're so many things here that you can do. Even I have not done everything."_

_Blue eyes shone with excitement._

"_I wanna do it too."_

"_Let's watch and play together."_

Leaves crunched beneath his feet as he neared them.

"_You look sad."_

"_I can't play with you anymore."_

"_Why?"_

"Why?"

The girl was looking at him, although she was talking to the boy.

"Because I must go to school. Mama want me to play with other kids." Danny unconsciously mouthed the small boy's answer.

"I'm a kid too." She insisted.

"Mama don't know that."

The boy faded away. His feet moved, bringing him closer to the young girl. With every step, the girl seems to grow, until she looked the same age as him. A faint chill traveled up his spine.

"Hey." Danny greeted.

"Hey." She replied.

"You're a ghost." He stated.

"You're a human." She shot back. A grin appeared on his face.

"Not exactly."

The ghost looked quizzically at him. She settled down on a big flat slab of rock.

"Wanna sit?" She asked. Danny shrugged.

"Sure."

He settled down next to her.

"It's been awhile." He commented.

"About ten years. How're things, Danny?"

"Interesting, Lily."

"_How're things, Danny?"_

"_Fun."_

"_Fun, _Lily_."_

"_Huh?"_

"_Answer with my name at the back if I say yours, so that I know it's you. Only you know my name."_

"_Ok. Ask me again."_

"_How're things, Danny."_

"_Fun, Lily."_

"How are the other kids?" Lily asked casually.

"They don't like me very much, but I have two best friends, Sam and Tucker."

"What do you do?"

"Lot's of things. I came here with them."

His face fell. He and Lily ere the only ones around. Where were the others?

"Oh."

"Lily, I need to go. My friends don't know that I'm here." Danny said anxiously.

"Ok."

"Thanks." He gave her a grateful smile. As he rose to his feet, she held his arm.

"Promise you'll come back, Danny?" Lily looked into his blue eyes. A faint emotion flickered in the green orbs.

"Promise, Lily." He promised.

"Don't tell them about me." She requested.

"I won't. Same place?"

"I haven't left this place for a decade."

Danny frowned. A decade was…

"Ten years." Lily supplied.

"I hate math." Danny grumbled.

"_I don't like people to lie to me."_

"_Ok, I promise I won't lie to you, and I'll tell you everything."_

He turned around.

"Remember earlier, when you said that I was human and I said 'Not exactly'?" Danny asked.

"Yes?"

"That's because I'm only _half_ human." Danny grinned at the confused look.

Muttering his battle cry under his breath, Danny called forth the transformation ring.

"What do you think, Lily?" Danny asked as he opened his arms.

"I'm surprised, Danny." Lily answered after a few moments.

"I became a halfa – half human, half ghost – about a year ago. In this form, some people call me Phantom."

"Then I am not some people. You're still Danny."

Danny smiled softly. She wouldn't know how much those simple three words meant to him. _That_ would be one thing he would have to keep from her.

"Thanks. Taya."

"Taya."

"_Taya? What's that?"_

"_Isn't it boring to say bye all the time? And everybody says that. I want something special, something only you and me know."_

"_So taya is bye?"_

"_It's __**ta**__ ta for now plus see __**ya**__ later. __**Ta**__-__**ya**__."_

"_You're so smart."_

"_I know. Thank you."_

"_Taya."_

"_Taya."_

Danny flew into the air, retracing his steps until he spot Sam and Tucker among the trees, yelling his name. The halfa landed silently behind them.

"Hey, Sam. Hey, Tuck."

The two quickly turned towards him.

"Danny!"

They threw their arms around him.

"Where did you go?" Sam demanded.

"_Don't tell anyone about me and this place."_

"_Why?"_

"_It's our secret. This is our mountain, our secret meeting place."_

His lips curled in a mysterious smile.

"It's a secret."

* * *

This must be the longest one shot I have ever done, page wise. This took up seven pages in Microsoft Word.

For those who feel lost, the conversations in italic are what happened between Danny and Lily last time, not in chronological order.

A little reminder for those who do not know. I am collecting, preferably one worded, challenges. For more info, please visit my profile page.

Thanks.

Hope you like it, and please review. Reviews make the fanfic world go round.


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